Fireground Strategies: Insights on Division Supervision, Training, and Fire Dynamics

Fire Engineering Podcast Network

Fireground Strategies: Insights on Division Supervision, Training, and Fire Dynamics

In this episode of Fireground Strategies episode, Battalion Chief Patrick Wirkus, of the Elizabeth (NJ) Fire Department, shares practical strategies for improving fireground command through effective division supervision. Drawing on 13 years of frontline experience and his family’s firefighting legacy, Wirkus discusses how decentralizing command at larger incidents enhances communication, reduces span of control, and improves firefighter safety. He explains the unique dynamics of mutual aid coordination in New Jersey’s densely populated Union County and the importance of continual training across career and volunteer departments. Wirkus emphasizes understanding fire behavior and dynamics, referencing new Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, and NIST research, to prevent deadly surprises like flashovers. Wirkus advocates for integrating technology like thermal imaging cameras into command post operations to boost situational awareness.